The present invention relates to a constructional sandwich panel for high strength wall and covering assemblies, and a method for making said panels.
Vertical dividing panels and horizontal covering panels, for use in the civil, industrial, ship, railroad fields and the like, comprising a pair of plate-like elements coupled in a parallel relationship with one another are already known.
The connection of said plate-like elements is carried out by arranging between the two plate-like elements a further construction element, usually made of an undulated sheet metal material.
This sheet metal material, in particular, has a surface extending through the overall surface of the plate-like elements and has a substantially sinusoidal profile cross-section, i.e. a cross-section profile including a plurality of cascade arranged peak and valley portions.
The sinusoidal surface element is contact engaged with the plate-like element surfaces and is adhesively bound to said surfaces, by using, for example, glue or adhesive materials.
This construction method, while has been found very unexpensive, has, however, the disadvantage that the sinusoidal surface element provides a small contact area for contacting the plate-like elements at each peak and valley of its waved or undulated profile.
This small contact area prevents the thus assembled panel from having a long duration or useful operating life.
Likewise, the provision of curved surfaces contacting the surfaces of the plate-like elements of the panel, causes the assembled panel to have a comparatively poor. mechanical strength.
Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a constructional sandwich panel for use in civil, industrial, ship, railroad fields and the like, which has a very high mechanical strength.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above aim is achieved by the present invention, which provides a very high mechanical strength panel, for vertical dividing and horizontal covering assemblies, as well as for walls for supporting finishing elements, such as marble elements, laminated elements, tiles, fabric coverings, linoleum coverings or the like, said panel comprising at least a plate-like element and being characterized in that it further comprises at least a fretted element glued to said at least a plate-like element.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the panel comprises two plate-like elements, coupled to one another in a substantially parallel relationship, as well as a fretted element, arranged between said two plate-like elements for connecting said plate-like elements by glueing the parallel surfaces thereof.
The mentioned constructional panel, in particular, can be made with different thicknesses, depending on the construction of the punch element for making the fretted element, and depending on the used materials for forming both the plate-like element and the fretted element.
The present invention further relates to a continuous type of method for making constructional sandwich panels, characterized in that said method comprises a first step for making said fretted element by shaping a sheet metal element by a correspondingly shaped element, and a second operating step in which said plate-like elements and fretted elements are glued to one another.
Said glueing steps, in particular, can be performed by a simple cold stacking operation, or by a hot glueing operation performed in a press type of oven, including two metal sliding belts driven by driving rollers.